


Drowning

by Gravity_Sun



Series: You, Me and the Baby Make ... Four? [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Dad!Jason, Drowning, Jason is a sap, M/M, Near Death Experiences, POV Second Person, nightwing to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:19:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7904524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gravity_Sun/pseuds/Gravity_Sun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your lungs burn. This is taking longer than you would’ve thought, but it’s what you should’ve figured. Lazarus Pit effects and all. Your lungs burn with urgency. There’s probably tears running down your face, your head is ringing but within the water, it’s tough to tell. The Pit is healing your lungs almost as quickly as they’re dying and yet it’s not quite quick enough.</p><p>‘Remember’ you tell yourself ‘Remember.’</p><p>aka</p><p>The time Jason almost drowns</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drowning

The first time you saw her was...

Was....

Your lungs burn. This is taking longer than you would’ve thought, but it’s what you should’ve figured. Lazarus Pit effects and all. Your lungs  _ burn  _ with urgency. There’s probably tears running down your face, your head is  _ ringing  _ but within the water, it’s tough to tell. The Pit is healing your lungs almost as quickly as they’re dying and yet it’s not quite quick enough. Your helmet is gone. Has been for hours. You should’ve gone back. Should’ve grabbed one of the spares from the safe houses around the city but you’ve always been twice as impatient as what’s good for you. Immortality should’ve taught you patience, if nothing else.

_ ‘Remember’ _ you tell yourself  _ ‘Remember.’  _ Your vision is starting to blur and go black around the edges. There’s no point in struggling against the chains. Your fingers are broken and they’re too thick. You realized that minutes ago. You are going to die strapped to this office chair like some fucking amatuer and all you can think of is how  _ stupid  _ you were. How his face looked when he kicked you off the ledge. Almost,  _ annoyed _ .  _ Incredulous  _ even. How a ‘stupid kid’ (you’re officially old enough to be his great-grandfather) like you has the balls too..

_ ‘No. Remember.’ _ You shake your head, try and clear your thoughts. You’re going to die and the last thing on your mind won’t be him. Won’t be this place.

It’ll be her.

Lily.

_ ‘Remember. The first time you saw her...’ _

She was pink and screaming and naked and covered in grossness and the most beautiful thing you’d ever laid eyes on. Evie was crying and Dick was congratulating you both and you couldn’t  _ stop staring  _ because she was  _ yours _ . She was  _ yours _ . A soft warm weight in your arms. Was Evie curling in next to you, watching, as you stared at her in pure awe. Look at this life she’d given you. It was knowing, in that instant, when you stared into the blue blue of her eyes that you’d burn down the world to keep her safe. 

It’s always said that your life flashes before your eyes when you die. It did the first time.  _ ‘Been there, done that’ _ , you tell yourself. You don’t want to see that, just  _ her _ . Always just her.

You think of the first night  you stayed up with her, of the time you held her through the storm that hit the east coast, when she was so scared she couldn’t stop crying. Of ear aches and knee scratches. Of blanket forts and short pigtails.

_ ‘The first words she spoke were...’ _ Dada. Much to Evie’s mock annoyance. She joked that she was officially a ‘Daddy’s girl’. That she had you wrapped around her tiny little finger and you don’t even argue. The world is going black and you remember how you’d lifted her in your arms, pressed kisses to her cheeks until she was giggling and squirming against you. Tickled her until she said your name a dozen more times, til her cheeks were flushed from all the laughing and...

You are going to die. You are going to die and not come home to her and she’ll...

You shut your eyes and think of the first time she walked. Her teetering steps towards you, hands stretched out and feel the phantom remnants of pride in your heart. Your heart is beating so hard and you know your nose is bleeding but... 

Remember the first time she tried to imitate Evie’s ballet. The first time she’d found her mother’s tutu and clutched it to herself and refused to let go. Remember listening to Ev sing her to sleep. To watching them, feeling the warmth of Dick at your back, whispering some sentimental nonsense and feeling content for the first time in your long,  _ long  _ life. Remember when Dick taught--

Dick.

Dick will die.

Not now. Not today but... he’ll start to age. Once you die he--. Will he know? Will he understand? Will he be angry, or feel blessed? Will he stay with Lily and Ev? Will they ever learn what happened to him? Or will he just be the Dad that never came home? Like his Dad. Will Lily sit by the door waiting for him until she realizes he’s never walking through it? Will she grow to hate him? Grow up resenting him?

No. Dick wouldn’t let that happen. Dick will be there. Dick loves her as much as you do. Dick will explain. Will carry her in his arms, help her walk on her hands, tell her stories of the circus until she laughs. He’ll make sure she’s always happy.

He’ll be able to age with her. Die when he should.

He won’t have to put her body in the ground.

Dick will...

Is.

No.

Dick is in front of you. Right in front of you. You think you’re hallucinating. Probably have been for the past several minutes but your eyes hurt from the brightness of the light strapped to his head. You can feel his touches on your face, see his eyes move over the chains, accessing the locks in quick succession. You want to tell him to leave you. To run before they realize he’s here. To remind him that his body doesn’t heal like yours. That despite his not aging, he’s still normal and he’ll drown just like you --

Oh.

That’s a rebreather. Dick thought to bring a rebreather.

And now he’s shoving one in your mouth. 

 

The first inhale  _ burns _ . It’s excruciating and exhilarating and every cell in your body screams it’s thanks. Dick frees you from the chair and starts pushing you towards the surface, and  _ that’s _ the last thing you remember. Blue. Blue of the water. Blue of the Nightwing emblem. Blue of his eyes.

X

 

You hear them before you see them. Soft whispers, obviously meant to not wake someone. You think it’s you until you realize there’s a warm weight on your chest. And drool. Definitely a little bit of drool. It’s okay. You stopped finding that gross ages ago.

Your muscles ache but you still bring your arm up, fingers already beginning to heal, and place your hand on her back. Just to feel the soft ‘thump’ of her heartbeat beneath your fingers.

“He’s awake.” Evie whispers, confirming your realization that Lily was the one they were trying to avoid waking.

“Thank fuck.” Dick mutters, and you can almost  _ feel  _ the glare Evie gives him “...Sorry.”

“Hey.” She’s saying, and she’s brushing your hair out of your eyes “Hey, can you hear me?”

You manage to nod. Force your eyes open and Evie’s face is staring down at you, eyes red and swollen. She’s been crying. Probably been up all night, worrying. And now you feel like an extra deep fried piece of shit.

You’re in your bed. Your muscles ache as you give a testing stretch. Lily stirs and you all freeze, until she shifts, clutches your shirt a bit tighter and falls back asleep.

“You found me.” You manage to force out to Dick

“Yeah. Almost like I was trained by the world’s greatest detective.”

“... Sherlock--.” Evie begins, confused, before realizing “...Oh.”

“That was stupid, Jay.” Dick continues “You shouldn’t have gone alone.”   
“I know.”

“You almost didn’t come home.”

You feel Evie tense.

“I’m sorry.” You say,  to both of them

Evie looks away, trying to maintain her composure. She’s quiet for a while, before speaking.

“Look, I don’t always understand... what you guys do but... there’s something. No. Two things, I need you to promise me.”

“What?”

“First. It never follows you here. It never gets to her.”

“Of course.”

“And second. You always come home.” She meets your eyes with the steely determination that made you fall in love with her in the first place “You always come home to her.” She gestures towards Lily, drooling contently against your chest.

You want to argue. Tell her that the job is dangerous, even for someone as skilled and durable as you. That one night you might not walk through those doors but...

“I promise.” Is what comes out instead.

Dick knows you’re lying. If Evie does, she doesn’t say anything. Just kisses you on the forehead, and reaches to take Lily from your arms.

“No...” You start “I mean... can I... just for a little while?”

Evie chuckles, kissing Lily before standing.

“Of course.” She and Dick move to leave “Oh. No matter what she tells you, she’s already eaten. And no cookies.”

You remember the pack of Oreo’s you keep hidden under the bed for this specific situation.

“No. Cookies.” Evie repeats, firmer, as if reading your mind “You can’t spoil her forever.”

You laugh.

“Watch me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I did second person POV again. Fight me IRL.


End file.
